A novel layer-by-layer self-assembled carbon nanotube-based anode: Preparation, characterization, and application in microbial fuel cell

✍ Scribed by Juan-Juan Sun; Hua-Zhang Zhao; Qin-Zheng Yang; Juan Song; An Xue

• Book ID: 103828110
• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 2010
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 941 KB
• Volume: 55
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0013-4686
• DOI: 10.1016/j.electacta.2009.12.103

✦ Synopsis

To exploit the outstanding ability of carbon nanotubes to facilitate electron transfer in a microbial fuel cell (MFC) system, multi-wall carbon nanotube (MWNT) and polyeletrolyte polyethyleneimine (PEI) were employed to modify carbon paper (TP) electrode utilizing a layer-by-layer (LBL) assemble technique for the first time, and the performance of the modified electrode as an anode in MFC was investigated. This modification strategy ensured a relatively high content of MWNTs within the polymer matrix. IR and cyclic voltammetry (CV) demonstrated the uniform formation of a polyethyleneimine/MWNT multilayer composite on the TP surface. The SEM profiles presented a three-dimensional MWNTs interwoven network surface structure with a large accessible surface area. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements confirmed that the existence of polyelectrolyte/MWNT multilayers decreased the interfacial charge transfer resistance from 1163 to 258 . With the modified anode, the MFC produced a higher power density with 20% enhancement comparing to the bare TP anode. The MWNT-based LBL self-assembled electrode is promising for the electricity production by MFC.